What are good screen time rules for kids?
Good screen time rules are few, clear and matched to your child's age. They say when and where screens are used, how much fun screen time fits in a normal day, what content is okay and what to do when something online goes wrong. They also apply, in part, to the grown-ups.
Most families only argue about minutes. Pediatric guidance has moved on from that. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) still gives clear advice for babies and preschoolers, but from school age it asks families to set their own consistent limits and to protect sleep, movement, homework and time together. The rules below follow that shift.
Screen time rules by age
| Age |
What guidance says |
Rules that fit |
| Under 18 months |
Avoid screens other than video calls. |
Video calls with family only; TV off when nobody is watching; phones away during feeds and play. |
| 18 to 24 months |
If you add screens, choose high-quality shows and watch together. |
Short shared shows; talk about what you see; no screens to calm every upset. |
| 2 to 5 years |
Up to 1 hour a day of high-quality programs, co-viewed when possible. |
About an hour a day, slow and gentle shows, a timer that ends the show, screens off an hour before bed. |
| 6 to 9 years |
No fixed limit; consistent rules that protect sleep, activity and homework. |
A daily amount you agree on, homework and outside time first, a grown-up okays new apps and games. |
| 10 to 12 years |
Same, plus privacy, kindness online and social media readiness. |
Devices charge outside bedrooms, ask before downloads, no social media accounts before 13, tell a grown-up rule. |
| 13 to 17 years |
Talk and guide more than you police; protect sleep and safety. |
Phones out of bedrooms at night, no meeting people from online, think before posting, notice when a feed keeps you scrolling. |
The hour-a-day figure for ages 2 to 5 comes from the AAP's 2016 statement on young children and matches the World Health Organization's advice of no more than one hour of sedentary screen time for 2 to 4 year olds. The rules for school-age children and teens come from the AAP's 2016 statement on older children, which recommends a family media plan, no devices in bedrooms overnight and no screens for an hour before bedtime.
Why these rules work better than a single number
A limit in minutes is easy to write down but hard to judge. An hour of video calls with grandparents is not the same as an hour of autoplay. The AAP's newest policy statement, published in 2026, says as much: it moves beyond fixed screen time limits and puts more weight on the quality of what children see, on adults joining in, and on how apps are designed.
Rules about when and where do most of the work. If screens never come to the table, never sleep in the bedroom and switch off an hour before bed, the three biggest things screens tend to crowd out, meals together, sleep and winding down, are protected without anyone counting minutes. A time limit then covers the rest of the day.
Rules also work better when children help make them. The AAP's Family Media Plan was redesigned after a trial of the first version found that families picked so many rules they could not keep track of them. The new plan asks families to choose a few areas at a time and to come back and update the plan.
How to set screen time rules, step by step
- Notice what happens now. For three normal days, jot down when screens come out, for how long and what comes before and after. Your phone's Screen Time or Family Link report helps for older kids.
- Pick three areas, not twenty. Start with where and when (meals, bedrooms, bedtime), one amount for fun screen time and one safety rule. Add more later if you need them.
- Talk it through together. Explain why each rule exists, in one sentence. Ask your child what feels unfair and what would help. Kids keep rules they helped write.
- Write it down and sign it. Our screen time contract builder ticks suggested rules for your child's age, lets you edit every line and prints one page with signature lines for everyone.
- Make the easy thing the default. Put the charging spot in the kitchen, turn off autoplay, use the device's own limits and keep a basket of books, cards or craft things near the sofa.
- Agree on what happens. One calm consequence when a rule is broken, used the same way every time, and something to look forward to when the rules hold for a month.
- Review after a month. Rules that keep breaking may not fit. Change them together instead of adding more.
Rules for grown-ups too
Children copy what they see. If a parent scrolls at dinner, a no-phones-at-dinner rule will not last. The updated Family Media Plan lets every family member, adults included, pick their own goals. Put at least one grown-up rule on the list, such as phones face down in another room during meals and play, and sign it too.
If your own phone use is the harder part, the screen time calculator shows what your daily hours add up to, and our guide on how to reduce screen time is written for adults.
Choose your situation
If you have a toddler and a busy day
Screens are tempting when you need twenty minutes to cook. Pick one slow, gentle show you trust, keep it for that moment only and talk about it afterwards. Avoid using a screen as the main way to calm upsets; a few other tools, like a song, a walk to the window or a bath toy, give your child more ways to settle.
If your child is getting a first phone or tablet
Write the rules before the device arrives, not after the first fight. Keep charging outside the bedroom from day one, share passwords, turn on the built-in parental controls and agree that new apps are approved together. The 10 to 12 age group in the contract builder covers these.
If you have kids of different ages
Keep the household rules the same for everyone (meals, bedrooms, bedtime) and let the amount and the content rules differ by age. Younger siblings will watch what older ones watch, so shared screens follow the youngest child's content rules.
If you have a teenager
Teens need more say and more privacy. Focus on sleep and safety, which matter most: phones out of the bedroom at night and no meeting people from online. Ask what they like online and watch some of it with them. A teen who wants a break from feeds can try a social media detox with the detox tracker.
If weekends and holidays break the pattern
Agree on a different weekend amount in advance, rather than negotiating each day. Keep the where and when rules the same so bedtime survives the weekend.
A sample school day for an 8-year-old
- 7:00 Wake up, breakfast with no screens at the table.
- 8:00 to 3:00 School.
- 3:30 Snack and outside play or a club.
- 4:30 Homework, with the tablet away unless it is for the homework.
- 5:15 Fun screen time: one hour, with a timer, in the living room.
- 6:15 Help with dinner, then dinner with no phones for anyone.
- 7:00 Family time: a game, reading or a walk.
- 7:30 Screens off and devices charging in the kitchen.
- 8:30 Lights out.
The day has an hour of fun screen time, and the rules do the rest: nothing at meals, homework first, screens off an hour before bed and no devices in the bedroom.
Common mistakes
- Too many rules at once. A list of fifteen rules is forgotten by Friday. Start with three to five.
- Only counting minutes. Where, when and what matter as much as how long.
- Rules for kids, not adults. Children notice, and the rules lose their fairness.
- Screens as the reward and the punishment for everything. It makes screens the most important thing in the house. Keep consequences small and linked to the rule.
- Setting rules and never looking again. Children grow fast. A rule that fits a 7-year-old needs to change by 10.
- Surprise enforcement. If a limit is new, say so a day ahead and use a timer or warning before it ends.
What the research says, and its limits
The clearest advice is for the youngest children. The AAP's 2016 statement on young children and the WHO's 2019 guidelines both advise no sedentary screen time for babies and no more than about one hour a day at 2 to 4 or 2 to 5 years, less being better. For older children, the AAP's 2016 statement asks families to set consistent limits, keep devices out of bedrooms, avoid screens for an hour before bed and make meals media-free, alongside an hour of physical activity and 8 to 12 hours of sleep depending on age.
The research behind these rules is mostly observational: children with more screen time tend to sleep less and move less, but that does not prove the screens cause it, and effects vary between children. A randomized trial of the first Family Media Plan found it did not, on its own, make teens engage more with media rules, which is one reason the plan was redesigned to be shorter and revisited over time. No study shows that one exact number of minutes is right for every child. Treat the table above as a starting point, watch how your child sleeps, moves and feels, and adjust.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child's sleep, mood, development or how they use screens, talk to your pediatrician.
Where to go from here
Build and print your family's rules with the screen time contract builder. For more on phones and screens, visit the phone and screen time hub. If you want to change your own habits alongside your kids, follow the 30-day screen time reduction plan or build a plan around your own day.
